History of Acai

The Açaí berry(AH-SIGH-EE), a Brazilian super-fruit packed full of health benefits has had a long life of historical importance within the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. The Açaí fruit grows like weeds across hundreds of thousands of acres along the Amazon River and has been a staple in the diet of the region’s people, the Ribeirinhos, since before recorded history. To this population it is believed that a meal is not complete without Açaí, in fact, “Without Açaí, I’m still hungry” has become a popular saying within the people. The Ribeirinhos, or river people, as they call themselves have harvested and prepared the Açaí fruit in the same fashion for centuries. This involves scaling 50 ft. into a palm tree with the aid of a strap of burlap looped around bare feet, chopping off the berry clusters with a machete, then sliding down the palm with fruit in hand. The berries are then combed off of the branches by hand and soaked in water to soften the the skin of the fruit. The fruit is then rubbed off of its pit and ground into a fine pulp. This process has been a fundamental skill for the Ribeirinhos for hundreds of years, and at Oba, we believe that leaving this process as is, is a testament to the origins of the fruit.

At Oba, we are providing Açaí to our customers in its original, purest form, straight from the amazon to your bowl.

In the 1970’s the Açaí fruit started to travel out of the Amazon region and into the Northern cities of Macapá and Belém. The Açaí was shipped by boat from the rain forest and sold in ziplock bags at roadside. In the 1980’s, the fruit began to move south into Rio and São Paulo through the vector of the Gracie family, a famous martial-arts clan whose roots began in the Amazon. Açaí became essential in the diets of the Gracie family for those who trained in jujitsu. Eventually, the super fruits started to find its way into the diet of many other Brazilian athletes such as surfers and volleyball players on the Rio beaches of Ipanema, Copecabana and Leblon. The fruit still remained virtually unknown outside of Brazil until the early 2000’s. Once introduced to the U.S. it rose quickly in popularity, unfortunately gaining momentum from scandalous health claims. The Açaí products entering the U.S. became more and more diluted, eventually products such as Açaí jelly beans, vodka, skin creams and hair conditioners hit the shelves. The fruit became so diluted and derailed from its origins that early boosters such as Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Oz sued to remove their name from the marketing of the Açaí fruit. At Oba, we are providing Açaí to our customers in its original, purest form, straight from the amazon to your bowl. We do not add any fillers to our Açaí besides the fresh fruit and homemade granola sprinkled on top. Pure Açaí is in our roots, and we believe it is the only way to properly consume the super fruit, that is why our mission is to share the highest quality Açaí and Brazilian cuisine experience with our customers.